The present invention relates to timers for controlling the operation of irrigation systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved timer and a method of using a timer to control an irrigation system.
Water conservation is an area of growing concern in today's society. As the population grows, the demand for and consumption of water also increases. The increasing demands for water and occasional droughts have resulted in water shortages. In response to water shortages, many state and local governments have issued guidelines and regulations regarding water consumption in order to promote the conservation and efficient use of available water supplies. Such regulations and guidelines often relate to the amount of water that may be used for certain activities, such as for irrigation, as well as penalties for excessive water usage. Additionally, such regulations and guidelines may also provide for fines for watering during daylight hours or wasting water that may result from improper maintenance of an irrigation system
Landscape irrigation accounts for a large percentage of the water that is used by businesses and individuals such as homeowners. Unfortunately, studies have shown that homeowners consistently apply to their property at least twice as much water as is actually required for healthy growth. This results in the inefficient use of available water supplies, as well as water bills that are unnecessarily high.
Conversely, property owners may apply too little water to their property, which results in dry areas of their property with dead or weak plants that are more susceptible to weeds and pests. These dry areas can be unattractive and affect the value and desirability of the property. In reaction, property owners may over react and apply too much water.
One reason that many property owners commonly over-water or under-water their property is that such property owners are often unaware of the actual irrigation needs of their particular property. For example, how often a lawn is mowed, fertilized, or treated with pesticides and herbicides can affect the irrigation requirements of the lawn. Also, the amount of sunlight that each irrigation zone associated with an irrigation system receives can dramatically affect the irrigation requirements of different irrigation zones on their property. Additionally, given the wide range of plant and soil types, many property owners do not have the knowledge or the resources to determine the irrigation requirements of their property.
Instead, homeowners often prefer the convenience of attaching a controller or timer switch to their irrigation system. Irrigation timers are used to control the delivery of water to sprinkler heads, drip lines, etc. Most irrigation timers are set up to deliver water to sets of sprinklers in different irrigation zones to ensure that the sprinklers are provided with adequate water pressure. This also permits the different irrigation zones to be watered for different periods of time at different frequencies and at different times of day. Irrigation timers determine when and for how long water is delivered to each set of sprinklers and actuate the irrigation valves in a predetermined or selected sequence to accomplish this. A typical timer switch opens the sprinkler valves for a specific amount of time on certain days of a week according to an irrigation schedule.
While such timers may be convenient, they are also inefficient in that they deliver water based only upon the time of day, regardless of the condition and actual requirements of their property. Conventional timers are also unable to make adjustments to irrigation when yard care takes place that may affect the irrigation requirements of the property. Hence, the use of a timer often results in the over-watering of a lawn or garden.
One of the problems with conventional timers is that they rely on a combination of sliding or rotating switches, push buttons, and lighted displays to perform and verify various functions, including setting the time of day, when to water, how long to water, etc. These conventional systems often rely on some type of common readout or display and the use of multifunction buttons, switches or other user inputs. The way conventional timers are designed, especially the use of multifunction user inputs, reduces the ease of use for the owner. This is especially true because after first being programmed, programming may not be necessary again for six months; because programming conventional irrigation timers is not necessarily intuitive, the user often needs to find and then re-review the instruction manual to ensure that programming is done properly.
Additionally, problems with the irrigation system may arise such as clogged distribution units, broken conduits, or broken distribution units. Currently available timers are unable to clearly direct property owners or caretakers to these problems. As a result, a user may waste hours, just trying to locate the problem. Compounding the problem of wasted time is the location of currently available timers, which are typically fixed to a structure. The fixed location of the timer may require the user to waste additional time and energy in running back and forth to the timer from various locations on the property in order to discover the precise location of a problem and make repairs to the irrigation system.
Currently available timers are also unable to interact with sensors and other systems, such as security systems, to actuate irrigation at a time not in accordance with the preset irrigation schedule. For example, a common problem that plagues many property owners are dogs and cats relieving themselves on the property. Currently, the only remedy is a caretaker chasing away such animals, which is inefficient, time consuming, and ultimately unsuccessful at changing the behavior of the animal.
Accordingly, a need exists for a timer which is highly responsive to the irrigation requirements for various plant and soil types. A need exists for a timer that provides mobile control to a user and that simplifies controlling and scheduling an irrigation system. Furthermore, a need exists for a timer that facilitates the locating and repair of an irrigation system. Additionally, a need exists for a timer that can interact with and support the operation of a fertilizer storage device or a home security system.